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'Within the first year of returning to Sydney, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression,' she said.

'Some days I couldn't leave the house. Some days life seemed too hard,' Simone added.

'It would take years for me to feel anything like myself again,' the makeup artist said as she went on to explain how she's on the road to recovery.

'It would take years for me to feel anything like myself again': The former MAFS contestant said her mental health weakened after returning to Sydney due to a split from her long-term relationship with ex defence partner, adding some days she couldn't leave the house

'The thought of further rejection and heartbreak would have seemed like too much to handle': While the makeup artist said she's on the road to recovery, she didn't expect to be single five years after her devastating breakup with her long-term partner

'If someone had told me then that I'd still be still single five years on, after countless number of dates and numerous heartbreaks, I honestly don't think I would have got through it. The thought of further rejection and heartbreak would have seemed like too much to handle,' She said.

Simone was very open about her experience on Channel Nine's matchmaking show, slamming the format and her TV husband Xavier.

In an honest blog post on her site The Dating Journal, she claimed: 'Week two, day three, of the five-week experiment, while folding a pile of bathroom towels during a filming break, he said to me, and I quote, "I’m just not that into it"...Needless to say, it just snowballed from there.'

'I was emotionally exhausted': In an honest blog post on her site The Dating Journal after her appearance on the show, she slammed the format and her TV husband Xavier, claiming the experience made her feel like she 'wasn't good enough'

'I was over being asked if I was in love yet... But more than anything, I was over feeling like I wasn’t good enough. I was emotionally exhausted,' she confessed at the time.

After filming ended she went home, and said moving out of Xavier's apartment was one of the happiest days of her life.

In her lengthy Instagram post, she spoke further about her last five years of being single: 'I tried so hard to feel settled, to find someone to settle down with. But I guess that just wasn't in my plan.'

'I tried so hard to find someone to settle down with': Simone claimed she was always looking for her soul mate, but is grateful she know has 'a heart filled with happiness' after taking time to focus on herself and what makes her most happy

However, she also focused on the positives: 'It took me years to learn to focus on me - to find what makes me happy... I've needed these five years (of being single) to find what makes me happy - independently.'

These days, Simone says she has 'a heart filled with happiness' and is ready to move on from Sydney and the heartbreak she experienced.

She ended her post on a high: 'Today I accepted a new job in Melbourne. A fresh start in a new city... Time heals all wounds, and sometimes it just takes more time than you'd like. Give it time x'

'A fresh start in a new city... Time heals all wounds': The former reality star revealed she's ready to move on from Sydney and the heartbreak she has experienced the past five years after accepting a new job in Melbourne